Rugby: Day of truth at hand for BoP

Bay of Plenty will know by Monday if their bid to win promotion to the NPC first division has succeeded.

The New Zealand Rugby Football Union board will link on a conference call today to consider Bay of Plenty's detailed application to get out of the second division.

Bay of Plenty rugby union chairman Malcolm Dunphy, chief executive Jon Brady and director Paul Singh met NZRFU game development manager Greg Peters and finance director Peter Ciurlionis on Monday to finalise the union's bid.

"We just wanted to clarify aspects of our application.

"We feel quietly confident we will be successful and that we have done everything possible to ensure that outcome," Dunphy said yesterday.

The Bay of Plenty union, which has had two previous bids for promotion rejected by the New Zealand Union, had converted last year's $130,000 deficit into an expected profit of between $170,000 to $200,000 - a turnaround of more than $300,000.

Bay of Plenty, the second-division champions, are one of three unions chasing promotion to the first division.

NPC finalists Nelson Bays have also applied, and semifinalists Hawkes Bay have made a surprise submission after not meeting the NZRFU criterion of finishing first or second.

The NZRFU board will today assess all three unions against set criteria of competitiveness of teams (assessed out of 45 points), financial viability (40 points) and population base (15 points).

A minimum score of 70 is required to be in the first division, with 30 points needed in financial viability.

Peters said today's link-up had been hastily arranged to provide unions with a decision.

He said: "Our next board meeting was not until November 23. But we obviously needed to address the issue so unions can get on and plan.

"The goal is to have a decision out as early as possible next week."

- NZPA